


Tales of Lethbridge-Stewart: The man who doesn't know how to retire

by Pearlislove



Series: Kate Stewart Appreciation Week 2017 [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: Episode: s02e12 Enemy of the Bane, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Kate Stewart Appreciation Week, episode add-on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-01-31 22:33:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12691527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearlislove/pseuds/Pearlislove
Summary: The time Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart broke into the blackarchives, as seen from the perspective of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.





	Tales of Lethbridge-Stewart: The man who doesn't know how to retire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fiveroundsrapid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiveroundsrapid/gifts).



> Written for Day 2 of Kate Stewart Appreciation week. No themes or prompts used.
> 
> Gifted to fiveroundsrapid, who inspiered me to write it!

"And that, Miss Stewart, is what the next step in the..." The man was interrupted in his insistent babbling by the sound of Kate's phone buzzing, the sound loud enough to be audible to the hole room.  
  
Seeing everyone's eyes focusing on her, Kate swore under her breath as she opened the phone to see who was calling. The ID read 'Doris' and Kate swore again, louder this time. The secretary sitting next to Kate startled a little as she heard her cuss, but Kate paid her no mind as more important matters took overhand.  
  
"I'm very sorry everyone, I have to take this" Without waiting for response, Kate stood from her chair, her heels tapping against the floor as she quickly rushed her way out of the room to the rhythm of the insistent buzzing of her phone.  
  
Doris really wanted to get hold of Kate, it seemed, and the woman instinctively knew that that was a very bad sign.  
  
Stopping once she'd come some way down the corridor, Kate finally clicked the green call button and lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello, Kate?"  
  
"Kate! Good god I've been calling for ages, I really needed to get hold of you!" Doris familiar voice answered on the other side, the worry in her voice clear as she spoke impatiently.  
  
"I'm sorry, I was in a meeting and didn't have the sound turned on on my phone. Doris, is everything alright?" Worry seeped into Kate's own voice as she spoke, and she berated herself, quickly realising that it was probably only going to stress her stepmother even more.  
  
"No, everything's not alright!"  As expected, Kate's concern agitated the other woman, and she half-screamed her reply.  
  
"You turn your phone off for an hour..." Kate muttered, rolling her eyes briefly before quickly refocusing on the situation. "What happened? Is dad alright?" A sudden, horrible thought hit Kate like a blow to the head, and it felt as though her whole stomach filled with ice at the mere suggestion that something might have happened to her father. What if he had really gotten hurt? He could have gotten caught up in some UNIT mission or another and couldn't take the strain.  
  
"You tell me! As far as I know he's on the run from UNIT!" Doris' earlier anger had faded to bitter annoyance, and Kate had to bite her lip not to laugh.  
  
"On the run from UNIT? How can he be on the run from UNIT?" It was hard to keep a straight face, but Kate did it. Not only was she in a public environment, but Kate could tell the other woman did not share her amusement. "Doris dad can't be on the run from an organisation he helped start."  
  
"But he is! They just called me about it! Apparently he helped that friend of his, Sarah Jane Smith, and some teenage girl to break into The Black Archives. I don't know what that is but they sounded seriously angry. Said he'd even helped them escape in his car and that they were looking for them now." Sir Alistair's unfortunate wife sighed deeply. "One of these days, he could take his retirement serious...and so could UNIT" The last part was muttered like a curse under her breath. Think what she want of them, Doris knew better than to insult the military organisation that both her husband and stepdaughter held so dear.  
  
"He did what?!" Kate couldn't help but screaming, entirely taken by surprise. Her dad, her ever so respectful stickler for rules dad had broken into The Black Archive with Sarah Jane Smith and helped her escape afterwards. Kate couldn't even begin to comprehend the fact that her father had actually done that.  
  
Then again, he'd spent forty odd years around The Doctor, and Kate didn't expect it to go unnoticed. That, combined with the fact that her father always put his loyalty to family and friends first, made it seem a little more logical in Kate's mind.  
  
"I told you, he's crazy! Told me they were going out for tea and then they all go breaking into some damn archive! You got to look at the paperwork, Kate! You can't let UNIT arrest him for this." Doris anger faded as she spoke, and towards the end she was more begging than anything, a quit unusual trait in the normally stubborn woman.  
  
Kate sigh softly. "Alright, I'll go see if I can do something about it. Just, relax, okay? Sarah Jane is good at this stuff and dad too. They’ll be fine. Besides, I’m sure there’s a reasonable Explanation…” Kate tried to reassure Doris, but knew it was useless. She was going to worry regardless, and her father was going to get an ear full once he came home. Maybe she should ask Gordon to change the sheets in the spare bedroom, Kate mused.  
  
  
  
“well, I don’t care for explanations. Just go look at it, will you? And if you see him you can tell him he’s going to hear it when he gets home!” With that, Doris hung up, leaving Kate standing there with the silent phone pressed to her ear. Sighing deeply, Kate pocketed it, giving herself a moment to breath before setting off down the hallway, intent on finding someone who knew about famous ex-military breaking into the Black Archives.  
  
  
  
\---  
  
  
  
“So you, Sarah Jane and The Black Archives, yes?”  Kate smiled at her father from behind her cup of tea, taking a sip if it as she waited for her father’s answer.  
  
  
“It wasn't that bad, Tiger.” The Brigadier shrugged, looking over at his daughter. “She needed an item we shouldn’t even have had in the first place to defeat some bug green squid aliens...The Bane, I think she called them, and save Luke. Couldn’t have said no, now could I?” Satisfied with his defense, he took a sip of his own tea.  
  
  
  
“Told Doris you were going out for tea, though. And I had to take her frantic phone call when she found out what you were really doing…” Kate remarked, trying not to sound too concerned. Having read the preliminary report, she knew it really wasn’t that bad, and her dad was not in risk of being prosecuted for it, but she still didn't like that he lied to Doris. “Still, I’m just glad it ended well. Luke is Sarah Jane’s son, isn’t he?” Another sip of tea and her worries from earlier were gone, hidden beneath a calm and relaxed surface.  
  
  
The Brigadier nodded. “Yes, so it seems. Adopted of course, but still. He was quite a remarkable boy. I’m sure you’d like him.”  
  
Kate chuckled. “I’m sure I would, as long as the green squids aren’t coming with him.” She smiled, a little of earlier worry creeping back in. “I’m just glad you’re safe and sound.” She stretched out a hand, putting it on top of her dad’s calloused fist and carefully massaged the back of his hand.  
  
  
Alistair smile, nodding along with his daughter’s statement once more. "So am I, Tiger, so am I.”  
  



End file.
